Invest in a legacy, not a program.
Detroit has always produced artists. The question is whether it will build the institutions that sustain them. Your support is how that question gets answered.
Invest in the future of the arts
The Onyx Center for the Performing Arts invites corporations, foundations, philanthropists, families, and community partners to join us in building a dynamic cultural institution where artists create, audiences gather, young people discover their talents, and Detroit's extraordinary artistic legacy inspires future generations.
Through professional theatre, music, dance, film, literary and visual arts, youth education, artist development, master classes, residencies, new-work development, and community engagement, the Onyx Center will create a vital bridge between Detroit and New York City while expanding opportunities for artists and young people.
Your investment can help build an institution designed to serve generations.
Why your support matters
Gifts to the Onyx Center are investments in cultural infrastructure. Philanthropic support makes possible the slow, foundational work that programs alone cannot fund:
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Institution
Institutional development and capacity building, so the Center can grow into an organization built to last generations.
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Education
Curriculum and program design that connects Detroit's artists to rigorous training and to New York City's cultural industry.
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Community
Community partnerships and access, keeping world-class arts experiences within reach of the neighborhoods they belong to.
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Infrastructure
Facilities planning and cultural infrastructure, the physical home this work deserves.
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Legacy
Documentation and preservation of Black arts legacy, so the record of this work outlives any single season.
Choose how you take part
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Corporate Sponsorship
Align your organization with Detroit's artistic future.
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Planned Giving
A bequest or planned gift ties your name to the institutions that will sustain Detroit's artists.
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Naming Opportunities
As the Center's spaces and programs take shape, naming opportunities are available.
Onyx Center for the Performing Arts is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization (legal name: Onyx Center for the Arts; EIN 42-2124971). Gifts are tax-deductible as allowed by law. Private briefings, foundation conversations, and site-based visioning sessions are available on request.
Partner with Onyx
Corporate sponsorship of the Onyx Center for the Performing Arts offers businesses an opportunity to align their brands with arts, education, culture, economic development, and community impact.
Onyx seeks corporate partners who believe that thriving arts institutions strengthen cities, attract visitors, develop young people, support working artists, and contribute to vibrant local economies.
Corporate sponsorship opportunities may include:
- Professional theatre productions
- Music and dance performances
- Onyx Youth Conservatory programs
- Master classes and artist residencies
- Arts education and school partnerships
- New-play and new-work development
- Film and media programs
- Community engagement initiatives
- Special events, galas, and festivals
- Artist entrepreneurship and professional development programs
- Season and presenting sponsorships
Corporate partners may receive customized recognition based upon the sponsorship level, including prominent brand placement, digital and website recognition, program advertising, event visibility, complimentary or preferred tickets, hospitality opportunities, employee engagement experiences, and recognition in Onyx communications.
We welcome the opportunity to create customized partnerships that advance both the mission of the Onyx Center and the philanthropic, community engagement, and visibility goals of our corporate partners.
Become a Corporate Partner and help us build the next chapter of Detroit's artistic legacy.
Create a legacy through the arts
A planned gift to the Onyx Center for the Performing Arts is an opportunity to make an enduring investment in artists, young people, and the cultural future of Detroit.
By including the Onyx Center in your estate or long-term financial plans, you can help ensure that future generations have access to professional performances, arts education, mentorship, creative development, and opportunities to pursue careers in the arts.
Planned gifts may include charitable bequests through a will or trust, beneficiary designations, gifts of appreciated securities or other assets, and other legacy-giving arrangements developed in consultation with your financial, tax, or legal advisor.
Your legacy can help provide:
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A permanent home for the arts
Support the development and long-term sustainability of the Onyx Center for the Performing Arts.
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Opportunities for young artists
Help future generations receive high-quality training, mentorship, master classes, and performance opportunities.
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Support for professional artists
Create opportunities for artists to develop, produce, and present meaningful work.
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Preservation of Black artistic excellence
Help celebrate and preserve the extraordinary contributions of Black artists while investing in the artists who will shape the future.
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A Detroit-New York artistic bridge
Support collaborations that connect two cities with extraordinary histories of artistic innovation.
Individuals who notify the Onyx Center of their planned gift may be recognized as members of a future Onyx Legacy Society, honoring those whose generosity helps secure the institution for generations to come.
Planned gifts should be made in consultation with your attorney, financial advisor, or tax professional.
Your legacy can live through the artists, young people, and communities you empower.
Put your name on the future
Naming opportunities provide individuals, families, foundations, and corporations with an extraordinary way to make a transformational investment in the Onyx Center for the Performing Arts.
A named space can celebrate a family legacy, honor an influential individual, memorialize a loved one, recognize a corporation's commitment to the community, or demonstrate an enduring commitment to arts and education.
Naming opportunities may be available for major spaces and programs throughout the Center, including:
- Main Theatre
- Theatre Stage
- Grand Lobby
- Box Office
- Youth Conservatory
- Dance Studio
- Recording Studio
- Scenic Design and Production Lab
- Costume Design Lab
- Conference Room
- Executive and Administrative Offices
- Artist Development Programs
- Master Class Series
- New Work Development Program
- Professional Production Series
- Youth Scholarships
- Annual Performance Series
- Special artistic and educational initiatives
Naming opportunities will vary according to the scope, prominence, duration, and level of investment associated with each space or program.
Major naming gifts may be recognized through permanent architectural signage, donor recognition displays, digital platforms, printed materials, special events, and other appropriate institutional recognition.
Customized naming proposals are available for corporations, foundations, families, and individual philanthropists interested in making significant investments in the Center.
Build something that lasts
Detroit has given the world generations of extraordinary artists, musicians, actors, dancers, writers, filmmakers, and creative innovators. The Onyx Center for the Performing Arts will honor that legacy while creating new pathways for those who will follow.
We invite you to become part of this vision.
Whether through a corporate sponsorship, planned gift, naming opportunity, or major philanthropic investment, your support will help create a permanent institution where artists can create, perform, teach, mentor, and inspire.
We are not simply opening another theatre.
We are building an institution that will inspire generations.
Begin a conversation
To discuss Corporate Sponsorship, Planned Giving, or Naming Opportunities, please contact:
Onyx Center for the Performing ArtsDr. Evelyn Collins, Founder & Executive Director
info@onyxartscenter.org
onyxartscenter.org
Detroit • New York City
The Onyx Center for the Performing Arts does not provide legal, tax, or financial advice. Prospective donors considering planned gifts should consult their own professional advisors regarding their individual circumstances.